St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-10-20
THE DEXTER BANK ROBBERY.
Arrest of Cashier BarrOn's Murderer
A Great MYsierY Cleared Up.


A Great Mystery Cleared Up.
The famous Dexter bank burglary OF
February %, 1873, is brought wildly
to mind by the arrest the 18th inst
at Franklin, Mass, of a man charged
with completely in the robbery of the
bank and the murder of Barron, the
cashier. Just before shutdown on the
night of WashingtOn's birthday, 1873
the national and state savings banks
of the town of Dexter, Me-, were rob-
bed, and the almost lifeless body of the
cashier and treasurer, j. w. Barron,
was found bleeding aud unconscious in
the bank vaults. Although the iron
doors of the safe were wide open, theii
contents were undisturbed, and the
only booty secured by the robbers was
about 5000 in money, and a $500 bond
which was not negotiable and which
was taken from the cash drawer. Fol-
more than nine years tile murder OF
Treasurer Barron and the history OF
the robbery have remained an unfath-
enable mystery. The news of the
brave officials fate sent thrill through
New England and steps were taken to
build memorial for him in his native
town. But just then somebody start
suicide to prevent exposure of crook
edness in his relations to the bank.
There was hardly any plausibility in
this theory but the bank officers caught
at it eagerly and, instead of directing
their energies to catching the crimi-
nails, set to work to blacken the memo
ry of the dead cashier. They succeed
ed to the hight of their expectations.
- H.
word and the murdered mans widow
has been socially Ostracized by large
proportion of her neighbOrs.
Now after all these years of misrep-
resentatiOn il is declared that the
whole story has been brought out into
the light. A young man named Charles
Francis Stair, has made a confession
declaring his full knowledge of the
murder and fixing the guilt on his
father and several others. The father,
David l.. Stair, was arrested at Frank
lin by Boston officers and carried
away. Stair has lived at Franklin sew
eral years and has worked at boot and
shoe repairing, but formerly lived i'll
Midway. At the time of the alleged
robbery he was not resident there.
He has been reported as worth several
thousand dollars. The confession of
young Stair is given in full by the New
York World.
After telling how Stair, the elder,
Oliver Smith, alias Cromwell, II we'll
known criminal, and two other men
and himself reached the neighbOrhOOd
of Dexter with Il well-laid plan for rob
bing the bank, young Stair says {:
While | waited with Il team at Blng-
ham, and next day ut Scion, Cromwell
and father went into Dexter, and made
a reconnaissance of the bank. An
drews, Thompson and Keely had made
impressions of all the outside and in
side doors of the building, which con
tanned both the national and savings
banks, several private offices and u
Masonic hall in the top story. During
the day the building was aln Ost en-
tirely deserted, and father and the rest
of the gang, by means of their skeleton
keys, entered he building and made IL
tour of inspet ton. During the fore
noon Billy Scott entered the building
by means of skeleton key and took IL
position in Masonic hall i'll the top of
the building where he could watch
those who came in and out of the build
ing. While Scott was on watch in the
Masonic hall, father and Cromwell
were in an office which Andrews had
taken right opposite the bank. He
pretended to he al agent for COnnec
ticut firm. Scott remained on watch
all day in Masonic hall and father,
Cromwell and Andrews kept close in
the latter's office across the way. They
saw IA man go into the building. He
was an insurance agent who had an
office there. In short time this in
surance agent came out again, and; as
they supposed, every thing was clear.
In some way, however, Cashier Barron
had entered the building during the
day unObserved. After the insurance
agent left his Office, father and Crom
well came down from Andrews bogus
Office across the street, let themselves
into the bank building by their false
keys, and locked the door after them.
They proceeded upstairs. Father pro-
duced key, opened door which led
into the bank, and, when they had en-
tered, locked the door again. This
was the outer room of the bank, and
father walked through it to the door
that enters the vault-rOOm.
He put his hand to the knob, opened
the door of the vault, and suddenly
stood face 60 face with Treasurer Bar
ron, who at the same moment had his
hand Oh the knob on the other side on
his way back from the coal closet, car
rying Il hod of coal in one hand and IA
fire shovel in the other. Instantly, and
without IA word, father pulled slung-
shot from his pocket and struck Mr..
Barron on the right side of the face.
-, IL flan.
ment father struck him another blow
with the slung-shot on the top of the
head, and Barron fell to the floor. He
was not, however, unconscious, and
tried to rise, when father leaped for
ward and struck him third blow,
on the head.
Cromwell then jumped forward,
grasped him by the throat, slung Il
moose around his neck and pulled it
tight, while father forced Il gag into
the PROSTATE mans mouth and knOtted
it at the back of his head. They then
proceeded to hand-cuff his hands be-
hind his back and laid the hand cuff
key on the floor behind him. At this
time he was unconscious. Father took
BarrOn's keys from his pocket and
thrust them into his own pocket. Then
Cromwell and father together lifted
Barron, carried him into the vault and
laid him on the floor. The great iron
door of one of the safes was open, but
neither father nor Cromwell dared to-
make an examination of the contents of
the vault. They hastily closed the
door. Father drew Barron's keys from
his pocket and unlocked the money
drawer in the front room of the bank.
He gathered up what loose money there
was there, amounting to little less
than $500 and thrust $500 bond which
was lying in the drawer into his peck